The document discusses the role and activities of the EDEN organization, an established professional network in open and distance learning with over 200 institutional members. It summarizes EDEN's core missions of supporting members through policy studies, professional development, innovative projects, annual conferences, and research. The document also provides an overview of open education initiatives in Croatia, including its strategy to ensure high-quality and accessible education through ICT and open resources. Examples of good practice from the University of Zagreb Computing Centre are described. Finally, the document outlines priorities from the EU's ET2020 working group on developing digital skills and competencies at all levels of education.

1. Across the German borders: Digital Hgher Education in the EU
The role of EDEN organisation
Open Education in Croatia
ET2020 WG on Digital Skills
and Competencies
Sandra Kucina Softic
• EDEN Vice-President for Open professional collaboration
• Assistant Director for Education and User Support at the
University of Zagreb University Computing Centre (SRCE)
• sskucina@srce.hr
e-teaching.org, November 7, 2016

2. 2
“The smart network for the professional community
and a professional community for smart learning”

3. The most extensive and established professional
network in open and distance learning
 Founded in 1991
 200 institutional members
 1200 individual members
 Cooperation agreements
 65 EU projects since 1997
 ERASMUS+ Civil Society Cooperation
Operating Grant since 2015
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http://www.eden-online.org/

4. Core missions
• Policy and feasibility studies
• Professional development – the Garden of
Learning
• Innovative projects
To support our members
and partners in their
endeavours to
modernise education in
Europe
• Annual Conferences
• Network of Academics and Professionals
• Disseminating good practice, project results and
policy
To facilitate the
exchange of knowledge
and practice in all
sectors and levels of
education
• Support for early-stage researchers
• The European Journal of Open, Distance and e-
Learning EURODL
• Bi-annual Research workshops
To further research in
the field
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7. EDEN 2017 Annual Conference
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http://www.eden-online.org/2017_jonkoping/
• The skills and knowledge required to take an active
part in a society characterised by digital technology
are embedded, learned, and practiced in people’s
daily lives.
• Technology and open education open doors to
groups of learners from a range of backgrounds,
generations, cultures with different languages,
literacies, and ways of communication.
• What are the new challenges for teachers and
educators in the new media landscapes to create
meaningful contexts for learning?
• Submissions: 30 January 2017

8. Open Education in Croatia
• Croatian Education, Science and Technology Strategy (2014)
– Croatia should be open, mobile and innovative with science and education as
developmental priorities
– to ensure high-quality education available to everyone under the same
conditions and possibilities
– the importance of using information and communication technologies in
educational process, fostering the implementation of e-learning, other modern
methods of teaching based on ICT and development of open educational
resources
• Croatian Declaration on Open Access (2012)
• E-learning in higher education is used mostly as the blended model
• National e-learning platform Merlin for HEI
• The Catalogue of the Higher Education Institutions’ E-courses in
Croatia
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9. Examples of good practice - SRCE
• main computing centre and the architect of e-infrastructure,
covering both the University of Zagreb and the whole research and
higher education system.
• competence centre for information and communication
technologies, as well as the centre for education and support in the
area of ICT application
• SRCE Open Access Policy (2014)
• Portal „SRCE& Open Education” - educational resources
developed within the framework of SRCE’s educational activities,
under CC licences, open and free to anyone
• Activities on promotion of open education and open access
• Online course on CC licences
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10. New priorities for European cooperation in
education and training (autumn 2015)
• Relevant and high-quality knowledge, skills and competences developed
throughout lifelong learning, focusing on learning outcomes for
employability, innovation, active citizenship and well-being;
• Inclusive education, equality, equity, non-discrimination and the promotion
of civic competences;
• Open and innovative education and training, including by fully embracing
the digital era;
• Strong support for teachers, trainers, school leaders and other educational
staff;
• Transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications to facilitate
learning and labour mobility;
• Sustainable investment, quality and efficiency of education and training
systems.
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11. ET2020 Working group on Digital skills and
competencies (2016-2018)
• Issues addressed:
– Development of digital competences at all levels of learning (includion non-
formal and informal), in response to digital revolution
– Fostering transparency, quality assurance, validation and recognition of skills
and qualifications, including those acquired through digital, online and open
learning resources, as well as non-formal and informal learning
– Increasing synergies between education, research and innovation activities, with
a sustainable growth perspective, building on developments in HE, with a new
focus on VET and schools
– Promoting use of ICT with a view to increasing the quality and relevance of
education at all levels; Boosting availability and quality of open and digital
educational resources and pedagogies at all education levels, in cooperation
with European open source communities
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